MAKING FOR THE FRONTIER
It was with the very greatest difficulty that we got out of that ghastly
drain, owing to having lost the use of our lower limbs. Eventually my
companion was the first to get clear, but it took a good quarter of an
hour’s work to accomplish this, and it was brought about by my placing
my right arm (my left was pinned underneath me) round his neck and
endeavouring to draw him over on the top of me, he at the same time
pressing with both his hands against the opposite wall of the drain, and
the two of us pulling and pressing in jerks, until finally he succeeded
in rolling over on top. I was now able to edge my body into a flatter
position at the bottom of the drain, owing to the removal of my friend’s
body making more room, at the same time supporting his weight on the top
of mine. We were now no longer wedged, so that he was able to pull
himself out by pressing on the two sides of the drain with his hands,
and thus gradually edging himself along, dragging his useless legs
behind him.
As soon as he was clear and I had had time to recover from my previous
exertion, I succeeded in dragging myself out in the same way, the two of
us edging along until we found a broader part of the drain, when,
pulling ourselves to a sitting position, we tried to induce the
circulation to return to our legs, which we did by putting our hands
under the knee-joints and raising them up and down. After about twenty
minutes of this, both of us began to experience excruciating pain as the
blood came back. However, we worked away with joy, the return of pain
also indicating the return of circulation, and therefore the use of our
limbs. It must have been nearly seven o’clock before we were able to
scramble out of the drain and crawl to the shelter of the clearing close
by. As it was not yet quite dark we felt that we should be safer in the
clearing than in an open drain so close to the footpath; also we must
get rid of some of the water in our clothes.
Crawling to the wood had still further aided our circulation, so that
before long we were practising walking, which at first was not at all
reassuring, but improved as we began to warm up. The two of us could not
help laughing at ourselves during the time we were trying to walk about,
when a leg would suddenly give way, precipitating the owner to earth.
Very gradually we began to get the full use of our legs. This difficulty
having been overcome, we proceeded to take off our clothes, in order
that we might wring the water from them. I then cautiously returned to
the drain for my boots, which I had the very greatest difficulty in
putting on. However, we were equipped and ready for the final venture at
a little past eight o’clock, when we moved off westward as jolly as a
couple of sand-boys. All the horrors of the past twelve hours were
forgotten; the farther we walked the warmer we got, and in consequence
more optimistic. Good heavens! what feeble rats we had been! We were
good for another week of this, and we felt that all was well with us.
Our object now was to strike the railway on which we had passed through
the town the night before, when we had left it in order to avoid the
party of workmen coming towards us. We had then rushed to our left;
consequently the line must be somewhere to our right, so that we now
travelled in the direction we judged to be north-west, according to our
calculations during the day. As the stars were not yet visible we had
nothing definite to guide us. Every moment we expected to strike the
line, but it must have been quite nine o’clock before we eventually did
so, although we had thought it could not have been more than half a mile
away from our last hiding-place. On reaching it we carried out the same
tactics as on the night before--that is, following the direction of the
line at a distance of about one hundred yards. Several times our nerves
were harassed by hearing voices; but we stuck to it for over an hour,
when we found ourselves walking into a thin mist of white vapour, which
got thicker as we advanced. We hoped greatly that this mist might be
rising off the expected area of lakes, so that we advanced with added
caution, and crossed two main roads, on which the level crossings were
lit up. Distinct sounds of people in conversation could be heard at each
crossing. Very soon we began to get into wet and boggy ground, which
decided us to make for the track, walking along it as quietly as we
could. The heavens were now beginning to clear up gradually, and one by
one the stars appeared.
We had not proceeded along the track more than half a mile when we
passed a small cottage at the side of the line. Hurrying past this as
noiselessly as possible, we were brought up sharp by a railing and large
five-barred gate across the line. At the moment when we were about to
climb the gate, the door of the cottage opened and a man stalked out.
Possibly he did not see us, but he could not fail to hear us. We were
over the gate in the twinkling of an eye, and were preparing to run for
it; but fortunately our presence of mind returned as quickly as it had
fled, and we walked on at a comfortable and leisurely pace. The man
followed us, and was gaining. If he was a guard, why did he not call on
us to halt? He could not have been more than forty yards away. We
quickened our pace a bit, just enough to keep the distance between us
equal. The blood was beating in our temples and throats; we wanted to
run, but we dared not even look behind us.
On we walked, our imagination running riot. We must have proceeded in
this manner for a good half-mile, when suddenly I perceived that we were
in the middle of a lake. We were indeed walking on the very embankment
running over the lakes that we had calculated on. That we had actually
arrived at the lake and walked over it for some distance without
noticing it showed the state of nervous tension we were in. Nothing had
taken our minds off the man, who was still following us, inexorable as
fate itself. Very soon the reason why he had not challenged us was borne
in upon us. Of course on the other side of the lake there would be
another gate and guard, into whose arms we should walk and be taken like
rats in a trap. Should I stop and hold him in conversation whilst my
companion struck him down from behind? For it must be done silently.
Yes, we must do this. But the idea of killing in cold blood is awful,
and we walked on yet another one hundred yards. In doing so we passed a
big iron wheel and sluice-gate, connecting the two sides of the lake
through the embankment.
A little farther on we noticed a clump of small bushes growing on the
sloping sides of the embankment. This would be a good place in which to
make an end of him. Silently we waited. The man reached the sluice-gate
and stopped. He had missed us and was listening for our footsteps, we
thought. But no! after a minute or two we heard the sluice-gate
screeching out its note through the night air, to be followed by a rush
of water. He must be the attendant of the sluice-gate. Thank God!
Perhaps we had not raised his suspicions, so we hoped to hear him
walking away, or that he would walk past us, and thus perhaps give us
warning of what lay in front of us. But the rush of the water seemed to
drown all sound. Cautiously I crawled back to the sluice, nearer and
nearer, until I stood upon it. There was no man; he must have gone back.
His suspicions had not been aroused.
I returned to my companion, and we moved off again, but soon decided
that, walking as carefully as we could, we were making too much noise.
To alleviate this, we stopped whilst I took off my boots. I had been
wearing three pairs of socks till now, so I drew off the two thickest
pairs, replaced my boots, and handed one pair of socks to my companion,
when we both put them over our boots. This muffled the sound of our
footsteps considerably.
As we advanced, we noticed the embankment getting perceptibly wider;
also that, whereas as heretofore there had been no mist hanging over the
water of the lake itself, we were now running into a thin white vapour,
which increased as we proceeded. From this we concluded that we were
approaching the opposite bank, and must therefore increase our
precaution. The sides of the embankment were now studded plentifully
with small bushes, of which fact we took full benefit, moving from bush
to bush as we went along. During our progress we noticed that we were no
longer surrounded by water on either side, but by a slimy-looking bog,
sprinkled here and there with tall reeds. We tried this bog, but
immediately sank up to our knees in filthy mud, so that we were forced
to return to the track. A little farther on we again tried the bog; it
was dry this time, but still too bad to venture over.
The moon now thought it was about time she showed her presence on the
scene. Fortunately she was baulked of her full design by a veil of thin
clouds, to which we sent up prayers of thankfulness, with a courteous
request not to move off. Suddenly a brilliant speck of light shone out
in the centre of the track, which immediately made us take to our
knees, on which we crawled until we were within fifty yards of the
light. As we had suspected, we could now detect a big gate across the
track, upon which the light we had seen seemed to be suspended. As we
were making plans how we should pass over this barrier, a man came out
from a hut which we had not noticed before, owing to its being in the
shadows. He advanced to the light and unhooked it, carrying it with him
back to his cabin and placing it on the ground outside his door.
Without waiting for any further developments, we crawled into the bog on
our left. Fortunately it was fairly dry here, so we did not sink very
much, but found it difficult to advance without making a certain amount
of sucking noise as we crawled, caused by pulling our hands and knees
out of the mud. We must have made more noise than we thought, for we
undoubtedly raised his suspicions, as he came out of his hut and stood
listening. Of course we stopped at once on seeing him, and cowered down
into the mud; and although he could not possibly see, he went back to
the cabin, and in a short space of time returned with his gun, to which
we could hear him fixing his bayonet. During the time he was away, which
was perhaps two minutes, we had taken advantage of his absence to crawl
a good twenty yards farther away from him.
The reader may be surprised that we were able to distinguish his
movements so well, but it must be remembered that he was standing on the
railway embankment, whilst we were about thirty feet below him in the
bog; consequently to us his figure stood out quite clearly against the
skyline. For a while he remained motionless (needless to say we did the
same); then he walked to the far side of the track, and descended out of
view for a few seconds, a fact of which we took instant advantage to
creep away another ten yards. This time he must have heard us again,
for he passed off the track and started to descend towards us. We were
just about to rise and make a bolt for it, when he stopped half-way down
the slope, listening intently; then he quickly climbed to the track,
seized his lantern, and placed it inside his hat. It had evidently
struck him that his light was advertising his movements. Again we put
yet another twenty yards between us, and in so doing crawled up a slight
incline, the ground beneath us becoming drier at every step, until we
found ourselves on a road, where we lay flat on our stomachs, watching
for the next move of the sentry.
It was perfectly evident that his suspicions were fully aroused, for he
was walking about like a cat on hot bricks. His actual movements we were
now too far away to discern with any accuracy. The road we were lying on
cut the railway line at right angles; hence the gate--it was a level
crossing. The line, as we knew, was running west; therefore this road
was due north and south. We decided to get on and join the railway line
again, when we had made a big enough detour round the sentry. To do this
we had to crawl one by one across the road on our stomachs, fearing that
the whiteness of the road would show up our figures in too strong relief
if we crawled in the ordinary manner. On the other side was a hedge of
prickly brambles. Over it we scrambled, to be pierced by a hundred
thorns. On the far side of the hedge was a steep bank, and then--great
heavens!--another lake!
The road as well as the railway line was built on an embankment. I
essayed to wade the water. It was past my depth. Silently we returned to
the hedge, and began to help each other over, when suddenly I felt my
companion grip my arm. The two of us remained motionless; the grip on my
arm gradually tightened, which I took to mean silence, so I stood
without moving, asking no questions, and all the time half supporting
my companion’s weight, who was perched on the hedge, with one leg the
other side. Gradually he allowed his whole weight to rest on me, giving
me a little nudge at the same time. Straining every muscle, I placed him
on his own feet without making a sound; then, as we waited, hardly
daring to breathe, suddenly a man cleared his throat with a little
cough.
Great heavens! he could not be six feet away, and I realised that, had
my friend got over the hedge, he must have fallen almost into his arms.
For a moment I felt petrified by the impending danger which had come
upon us. Suddenly out of the dark, but before my brain had seized upon a
plan of action, we heard a bell clang out its warning from the direction
of the level crossing. Simultaneously we heard the sentry shuffle round
on the road and walk off. As the sound of his retreating footsteps grew
fainter, we took the advantage of scrambling over the hedge as quickly
as possible, cowering down under the shadow of the other side, where we
waited a few seconds, in order to make sure that the sentry was not
returning. Then we started to crawl away down the road, always keeping
as close to the friendly shelter of the hedge as possible. Before we had
proceeded very far we were startled by the shrill whistle of an engine.
A moment or two and we could hear a heavy train panting towards us, and
as she passed over the crossing we rose to our feet, and did a good
couple of hundred yards’ sprint down the road leading directly
southward, feeling quite sure that the noise of the heavy train
lumbering by would completely drown the sound of our hurrying feet.
Here we essayed the swamp again, but found it impossible, so at last we
decided to follow the road south till we found dry ground to our right.
About half an hour’s walking brought us to a very small village on the
edge of the marsh, really only a few scattered cottages; through this
we went with the very greatest precaution, as there were still lights to
be seen in one or two of the cottages. Immediately we passed through we
found a great expanse of ploughed fields to our right. Over this we made
our way, going slightly north again, in order to strike the south end of
the swamp, and thus keep in touch with it and our beloved railway line,
which still apparently ran through the middle of it. Gradually the
ploughed fields began to descend towards the bog, and in our anxiety to
make sure of the bog we passed quite close to a big barn that had
escaped our notice. As we did so a dog inside began to bark furiously.
Instantly we rushed away southward again, the dog continuing to bark as
long as we were in hearing.
Again we endeavoured to make the margin of the bog. After having made a
wide detour round the barn we struck it in safety, but this time it
appeared to be drier, much to our satisfaction. We tried to walk on it,
but it was not possible as yet. Following the bank, which ran almost due
west, we tried it again. After about another mile it was still too wet,
but here and there a solitary tree could be seen growing. These
increased in number as we advanced, until at last we were brought up by
a decayed wood, through which numerous rivulets were running. Here we
plunged into the wood, over our ankles in peaty bog, and advanced
northward in another attempt to hit the railway. Our progress was very
slow, as we constantly had to jump ditches, some of which were too broad
for us to make a successful landing on the other side, when we would
slide back into the slimy water, only to pull ourselves out with
difficulty.
In one place was a rivulet about forty feet wide, which of course it was
impossible to jump. Noticing a heavy log on our side, we pushed it into
the water, and reached the opposite bank one by one astride the log.
This was not so easy as it seems, as the log rolled first this way and
then that; but we finally managed to cross in safety without wetting the
upper part of our bodies. Some people might say we ought to have jumped
in and swum over, but they must remember the condition we were in. Both
of us feared that, if we once got into the water, cramp might again
overtake us.
Whilst still advancing northward we passed to higher ground, which grew
drier as we proceeded, and before we had gone very far we suddenly
stumbled on to the railway. Joy of joys! we had got our direction once
more, when, following the railway for about a mile, which was still
running due west, quite suddenly it branched southward. This rather put
us off, but we decided to follow it for a little while longer; and a
very good thing we did, as before long we were brought up sharp by
numerous lines of lights, showing like pin-pricks in the darkness, some
being red, others green. This must be a big junction of some kind. We
crept cautiously nearer, more lights showing as we advanced. By the side
of the track was a big hedge; to this we made our way, and lay down in
the shelter of its shadow.
For the first time we realised that we were both very tired, but,
strange to say, not in the least hungry--in fact, neither of us could
have eaten anything, even if we had had it. As we lay resting ourselves
the bells of a neighbouring church chimed out the hour of twelve. Good
heavens! only five hours to daylight; we must get on. Each said to the
other we must start at once, but neither of us moved, our limbs refusing
to obey us. I had a violent pain in the chest, my head ached, and my
teeth would not cease from chattering. In the end the spirit gained over
the flesh, and the two of us moved nearer to the lights, when, suddenly
looking to our right, we discovered a bright light in the sky to the
north. Great Scott! that must be the town of V----; there cannot be any
other place big enough within fifty miles of here which could shed such
a light as that, and V---- was three miles over the Dutch frontier. My
companion refused to believe we could be so near, but I insisted. “Then,
what is this town in front of us?” “It must be K----,” I replied--which
is, as you know, just on this side of the frontier and south-west of
V----.
For the moment our pains were forgotten, as we made towards the welcome
lights of V----. But our troubles had only just begun; the climax of the
venture was to come.